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State-of-the-art poffertjes (mini Dutch pancakes) and pancake baking
The best pancakes? Grandma's, of course. But Ruben Casteleyn, manager of Lipcas, is doing everything he can to ensure that Lipcas' pancakes and poffertjes are just as tasty. Traditional recipes and grandpa's oven concept are used, but with the latest technology. Innomatic and Ikologik are responsible for developing optimal control and order tracking, from recipes to packaged products. The plan is for Lipcas' pancakes and poffertjes to be back on the shelves this autumn.
Last year, flames reduced Lipcas to ashes. For manager Ruben Casteleyn, however, giving up was not an option. "The very next day, we started making plans to build a new production hall for pancakes and poffertjes, but not in a rush. We really thought about how we could turn the limitations we faced into state-of-the-art production.
High ceilings and windows to make it more pleasant for employees, a clear division into a high care and a low care zone, a larger freezer warehouse, etc. Incidentally, the new building did not literally rise from those ashes. Lipcas found a site about 2 km away in a brand-new industrial estate where version 2.0 was built. ‘All the space we needed for a logical flow, both inside and outside the building, was available at the new site.’
Ready for the future
Inside, production follows as straight a line as possible, from the intake of raw materials to packaging. At the heart of production are two ovens, one for baking 700 kg of pancakes per hour and one for baking 1,200 kg of poffertjes per hour. Casteleyn did not have to draw up this blueprint alone. He was able to count on the input of shareholders and the extensive experience of Ann Stragier. The focus was twofold. ‘On the one hand, we wanted to resume production as quickly as possible to serve our customers. On the other hand, we wanted to be ready for the future.’ The plans therefore already took into account, in the long term, a third production line and the integration of robots into the packaging process.
Ovens controlled by recipe
But even without those robots, automation is already being resolutely pursued. This is right up Innomatic's alley. They delivered the complete production control system. "From previous projects at the previous location, we had learned that this is a team we can rely on. They always solved problems quickly, so we could restart production. If necessary, with an interim solution while waiting for parts. That straightforward mentality, knowing that you have a direct line to whoever you need... those are things that give you peace of mind. The references we took also helped to increase our confidence."
The challenge in designing the installation lay mainly in the fact that a separate recipe can be set for each production line and that the lines will be cleaned at different times. It was therefore extremely important to think carefully about the product flow and the CIP installation.
After all, Innomatic's goal is to make control child's play for the operator behind the controls. All they have to do is select the recipe, and all parameters are set automatically.
Learning from data
Nowadays, automation is impossible without digitisation, and the manager looked as far into the future as possible in this area too. Ikologik, which had already successfully completed several projects with Innomatic, was appointed to handle the software link between the ERP system and the machines. Where Innomatic stops at the PLC, Ikologik establishes the link to the IT systems within Lipcas. "Everything now starts with the ERP package, which automatically links to production for every order. In our industry, a lot of parameters have to be logged anyway to demonstrate food safety. That too is done automatically, but we also look at the efficiency of each batch. How many raw materials were used, how much energy did it cost? This gives us a detailed picture of our efficiency, not only in theory but also in practice."
Complete digital flow
This data then becomes the starting point for further optimisation of the production process. "It's a continuous improvement process. In the past, a lot of paper went back and forth between production and the office. Thanks to the Innomatic – Ikologik tandem, we have now created a fully digital flow for our pancakes and poffertjes. In addition, we can learn from the collected data and thus have the third production line completely perfect in one go."
Casteleyn is therefore extremely satisfied with the collaboration. ‘The technology within the new Lipcas factory may not be the most complex, but there is so much involved in setting up a completely new production hall. Nevertheless, Innomatic and Ikologik always manage to maintain an overview and provide a uniform and scalable method for visualisation and control,’ concludes Casteleyn.